It is well known that a hockey stick, for playing ice hockey, is frequently damaged by being struck by the stick of another player. The area most susceptible to damage is the front edge of the shaft. When it becomes chipped or worn, the stick will be broken much more easily.
Attempts to strengthen this shaft area are faced with the requirement that the stick shall be as light as is practical, for ease of handling, and also that the stick shall be balanced in the hands.
Clearly it would be possible to simply make the shaft thicker, but this would make the stick heavier and alter the balance of the stick. It would also mean changing the entire design of the stick. Manufacturers would have to re-tool.
It is therefore desirable to provide some form of added protection which can be applied to standard hockey sticks, without altering their construction.
Sticks and in other sports such as Lacrosse are also subject to damage.
The present invention is directed to providing a solution to these conflicting problems in a novel and economical manner.